YouTube's Late-Night

Is there anything worse than telling a joke and having no one laugh at it? For the past several weeks, this has been the reality for the hosts of late-night talk shows. Aside from being super awkward, the shift to online content is showing the vulnerabilities of traditional TV entertainment.

When the COVID-19 epidemic began to spread in the US, late-night shows removed their live audiences and kept only their production crew on site. As workplace restrictions increased, however, TV shows and movie productions everywhere came to a complete halt. Rather than going on hiatus, the show had to go on somehow, and the obvious place for this was YouTube.

Already late-night shows had relied on YouTube to maintain an online presence. Clips of episodes were regularly being uploaded, and for many that do not have a cable, YouTube has been the only way to keep up with late-night programming. John Oliver and Jimmy Kimmel have found particular success with their YouTube presence—often being at the top of the trending page.

Thus came the barrage of self-made Youtube videos by the hosts of late-night. Seth Meyers took to a hallway, Samantha Bee opted to the woods outside her home, and Jimmy Fallon had his dog Gary make a cameo. As endearing as Fallon’s at-home awkwardness is, what was incredibly clear (by Meyers’ horrendous audio) was that these hosts were simply that—hosts. While incredible comedians and entertainers, the ability to set up a camera or choose the best place to record is out of their wheelhouse.

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Outside of talk-shows, SNL was having similar issues while learning how to maintain the magic of live tv with video chatting. Taking one look at their comments section, and people were not pleased with certain decisions like trying to maintain a laugh track. Downsizing has not proved easy.

To the host and their team’s defense, there has been a steady improvement in the quality of videos. It appears that most are reading the feedback and are ramping up their at-home production. Rather than trying to act like things are completely normal, Fallon and Samantha Bee have opted to include their family wherever possible, which has brought a great sense of relatability that is often missing from late-night. Conan O’Brien, Seth Meyers, and most others have also continued guest appearances via video chat. Moreover, beside several videos, there is a direct tab to donate to various charity organizations, or the video itself is partnered with an organization that is providing relief to those in need.

Most interesting has been the continuation of musical appearances. James Corden and Fallon have both invited musical guests like Kesha, Gwen Stefani, and Blake Shelton to perform their latest hits from their home. Aside from some performances being more stripped back due to the lack of equipment, artists like Dua Lipa managed to incorporate her back up dancers, singers, and band despite being separated.

The big question is—how long can late-night stay home?

In 2015, Grace Helbig ventured out of YouTube into the late-night talk show world with The Grace Helbig Show on E!. The format included Grace inviting the guest into her “home” where she would play various games followed by an interview. She seemed to be so ahead of her time that the show did not get past season one. At the time it was clear that a YouTube star was not able to translate her viewership to a traditional TV setting. Even this year, YouTuber Lilly Singh has been the source is widespread criticism over her new late-night show. Like her predecessor, she has not hit the mark.

It seems that jumping between platforms has been hard for YouTube stars, and this may become the case for the other side. Despite late-night having found success online, it has been largely a result of viewers feeling like they are getting premium TV entertainment for free: a high budget production on a free site. Now that all crews are home, the hosts are being left to fend for themselves in the sea of Youtube personalities.

“Shout out to YouTubers who have been doing this for a long time,” Seth Meyers jokes at the beginning of another hallway video. Indeed, current YouTube giants like David Dobrik and Emma Chamberlain know how to frame, light, and edit their videos masterfully. What happens when these online pros are paired against the late-night icons? Of course both can co-exist—as do most YouTube stars. With so much extra free time, people can consume more content. However, YouTube is personality driven, and as the world faces the reality that large group gatherings like TV show productions may not return until 2021, hosts are going to have to adapt more than ever. Their writing staff can certainly write equally high value comedy remotely, and celebrities can Zoom-in, but late-night will not be the same once it returns to television.

Audiences are drawn to the down-to-earth celebrities, which is why YouTube has grown to dominate the entertainment industry in the last decade, slowly killing traditional cable TV alongside Netflix and other streaming services. The longer late-night hosts are immersed in the world of YouTube, the more likely that production companies may begin to shift their attention to YouTubers that are masters of at-home entertainment rather than stand up comedians. Current late-night hosts have established themselves well enough to survive this disruption, but the format and faces of late-night are being challenged more than ever.